Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-11
HERRING "DRIVING."

HERRING DRIVING"
SOME FACTS ABOUT FISHING OFF
THE COAST OF MAINE.
The Most Prolific Inhabitants Of the Sea.
Evidences Of the One Engro..ins voca-
tion Of the Coast People-An Exciting
Night ..Dr1ve."
The herring is the most prolific Of fish,
each matte or roe fish. annually depos-
iting from 10000 to 10000 eggs; that
whEe these individual ''maties'' probably
20 not spawn but once each year, spawn
ing by herring shoals certainly occurs
twice year, in early spring and late fall;
that herring shoals are Of prOdigious ex-
tent, 'often closely packed ike flock Of
sheep" for distances Of eight or nine
miles and breadths Of two to three, with
an unknown depth; that a shoal Of o
square mile, three fathOms deep. will con-
tain 500, OO0, 900 herrings; that all the fish
ing in all the world could never diminish
their numbers; that their only enemies
worthy Of note are the gulls. fin whales.
dog fish, gannets, pOrpoises, the fiat fish,
which feed upon the newly deposited
spawn, and the ravenous cod, in whose
stomachs the herr ng is found the whole
year through; and that they will swarm
at and return to good feeding andspawn-
ing grounds, despite all lore and super
stition Of fisher folk, unless their food
supply shall fail or they are driven from
their home grounds by repeated on
slaughts Of their own vOracious seafariny
relatives.
Therefore, and therefore only, the
waters Of our farthest northeast coast
and the southwestern shores Of New
Brunswick annually swarm with herrings
because the coves, estuaries, bays and
entering streams provide the feeding and
spawning grounds these delicious fish de-
sire, and they never disappear save when
natural conditions withhold their food or
the cod, in great armadas, sweep back to
the west from the banks and set upon
them ravenously for their own food. But
however this may be, the herring in in
eXhaustible Humbfrs are here. Here, too,
are a hardy. brave and simple folk, nearly
equally divided among Americans and
Canadians, who, from April to December,
which term comprises the annual sea
son, know no other labor or hope than in
this harvest beI,eath the waves. From
Mount Desert, vast Englishman's bay.
Machias, Quodd! Head, Lubec and East
port, in Maine, a 'Dund Campobello, Grand
Manan, Wolf Islands, Deer Island, Lee
Island, Passamaquoddy bay, into which
flows the noble st. Croix, st. Andrews,
ST. George, and even to Mace's bay. in
New Brunswick, every mile Of shore line.
every swirl Of waters, every nook and
Granny where the tide creeps in and out,
has its indisputable evidence Of this one
engrossing vocation. Herring seines, her
ring boats, herring weirs, herring fishers,
are all one sees or knows in human activ-
ity. One eats herring. walks on herring,
stumbles upon herring waste; breathes
the pungent aroma of herring In all
stages of curing. hears naught but talk
Of herring. and rides through the witch
land of dreams upon monstrous herring
bones.
In the region named a population Of
20, 600 souls practically subsist upon the
rewards Of herring fishing; fully 5000
men and boys are engaged in the actual
work and over 1000 boats are constantly
in use. These are OF one model and pat
tern. and the qUoddy boat, as it is called,
taking its abbreviated name from the
noble Passamaquoddy bay, around whose
irregular but beautiful shore the larger
number of herring fishers have their hum
bic homes. should have long since been
famous in romance and song. The
quoddy is built for serious use, not
pleasure. But it would still make testy
rival for even the cat yawl OF Newport,
famous for its seawOrthiness and speed.
The herring are taken in three different
ways: by the seine, in weirs and by ''driv-
ing" the latter method forbidden by
American and Canadian regulator, being
by far the most interesting procedure
There is a genine romance and excitement
about herring driving" 1t is done
under fear of the mighty law, and cover
of pitch black nights. IL the waters
bc sullen. dark and still, and a dense fog
has stolen upon 'Quoddy from the
sea to keep the hated officials in
doors with their grog, fortune Is
kind indeed to the herring fisher, who may
thus turn an extra honest penny for the
winter and little ones, away from the Of
tawa money bags and the bOthsrsome sur
plus at Washington. Everything is snug
and shipshape betimes, awaiting the night
food tide. Softly the fisher and crew OF
three. in their oil clothes and sou'westers,
glide away from shore with muffied oars
into the lmpenc;rable darkness. Every
square rod Of water is as familiar to these
men US the, .'cuddy" Of their own boat.
The mast is left behind. There are two
o1rsmen, one steersman and 'dIpper."
When favorable ground has been
reached there is n sudden flash in the boat.
In n moment a stronger light appears for
ward, over the gunwalc on the port side.
There, in . little wire woven dragon or
crescent. siZzles and flames a Quoddy
torch. The Quoddy Indians, at Pleasant
Point on the St. Croix, have made it Of
birch bark. 1t is eighteen inches long,
six wide, two or three thick; has cost five
cents; and will blaze for half an hour.
The moment this is nflame the Quoddy
boat fairly leaps upon the water. The
greater its speed the greater the luck.
Suddenly there is q tremor in the water
just ahead of the fiaring torch. The
clipper stands with barred arms, reso-
lutte Us if for mighty deed, grimly grasp
ing the stout handle Of huge scoop -
The tremor upon the water increaSoo -
ripple, and the efforts Of the Oarsnen exo
reJoubled The ripple soon bseoNO .
spumy, seething volume, rsdia1tnG and
widening to away rearward, - x . NIL
lion tiny waves, given auiuaeo IN, wezO
battling for precedence. 0oddenly thsfe
is a ''swash!' and he ''dippef's" ~
has descended. 1t hgiugS bakk more than
bushel of gleaming. squirting hsring.
As if for dear life IL 'A6ippef'' scoops and
the oarsmen row. TunbAns, sp.ashing,
cavorting and actually squesking pro
tests, Us they ass flune 70 the boats bot
tom, fish BY tAs seerss q netfuls are thus